


The Unrequited Bond

by saya4haji



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alien Biology, Angst, F/F, F/M, Gen, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Misunderstandings, Oneshot, Soul Bond, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:01:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28114293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saya4haji/pseuds/saya4haji
Summary: All human's have the first words their soulmate will speak to them tattooed on their right wrist. This is their soulmate bond.Aliens however do not fall under the domain of the Powers who gift humanity with the Soulmate bond so Kara doesn't have a tattoo.Misunderstandings and angst ensue.
Relationships: Alex Danvers & Kara Danvers, Doomed Kara Danvers/Mon-El, pre Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 34
Kudos: 270





	The Unrequited Bond

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rhino (RhinoMouse)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhinoMouse/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Linked](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13545852) by [Rhino (RhinoMouse)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhinoMouse/pseuds/Rhino). 
  * Inspired by [Linked](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13545852) by [Rhino (RhinoMouse)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhinoMouse/pseuds/Rhino). 



> I love Supergirl soul bond fics. They are a guilty pleasure. I especially love misunderstandings and angsty soul bondings. This is a oneshot. I am sorry but I don't have the time to write anything longer. If anyone wants to conitine this one then feel free to run with it. 
> 
> Once again this is dedicated to Rhino(RhinoMouse), their 'Linked' Soul bonds themed one shot series is amazing.

* * *

** The Morning: **

* * *

Kara is in the line for Noonans when she feels the familiar hand of her sister clamp down on her shoulder. Kara knows immediately that it is Alex, because only Alex uses a crushing grip that would drop a human to their knees. Ordinarily this is a reassuring and even comforting gesture, but not today. Today it is violent, and before Kara can let out more than a squawk of protest, she feels herself being pulled out of the line and away from the delicious sticky buns she had been hankering all morning.

“Noooo! What? Alex, what the frick?!” Kara cries.

She flails and knocks her sister’s hand off her but freezes when she sees the face of doom that Alex wears. It’s that face Alex gets when she is about to lecture Kara for twenty minutes for doing something dangerous or stupid.

Kara’s jaw snaps shut and when Alex grabs her bicep and drags her towards the disabled toilets at the back of the store, Kara doesn’t resist or ask any questions.

Alex pushes Kara inside and slams the door behind her, absolutely unfazed by the staring crowd.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Alex whisper screams at Kara.

Kara’s eyes go huge at her sister’s vitriol, “What?” she squeaks back in outraged confusion.

Alex’s hand snaps forward as though she has super speed to rival The Flash. She grabs Kara’s right forearm and raises it to eye level.

Kara’s eyes fasten to her wrist where the smudged remains of her fake soul bond tattoo remain. Kara pouts innocently and guiltily, “Oops?” Kara cringes back.

Alex’s eyes narrow and burn with barely restrained rage.

“Oops? Oops Kara? We have been telling you the importance of wearing the fake words since you got here. Not having a full tattoo on your right wrist is a more obvious sign of you being an alien than you flying around with that giant S on your chest!”

“It’s not an S…” Kara whispers but trails off as Alex’s glare ratchets up from blazing to nuclear.

“Why have you not redone you’re tattoo Kara? I know you have loads of supplies! You can’t afford to be careless!” Alex lectures.

Kara slumps and pouts, “I got in late last night after that warehouse fire, and then I was hungry this morning and I got distracted…”

Fire is almost spouting from Alex’s flaring nostrils. Kara trails off and decides that emergency measures are called for: she breaks out the puppy dog eyes.

“No, no, don’t look at me like that Kara! You are the one in the wrong! Put the glistening baby blues and the pout away…gods damn it Kara!” Alex cries as she spins around to face the door.

Alex waves her hand backwards to Kara and almost begs, “Fine, fine! You’re forgiven, I’ll let it go, just stop it.”

“Yay!” Kara crows in victory, “I am sorry Alex and I love you!” she cries as she jumps forward to hug her sister from behind.

Alex sighs tiredly, “Whatever, let me go. I need to fix your wrist.”

Kara releases Alex who spins around and pulls a bottle of solvent, cotton balls and a new tattoo transfer from her messenger bag.

Kara narrows her eyes, “You just happen to be carrying all of that stuff in your bag?”

Alex glares at Kara through her lashes, “I have been carrying these supplies and protein bars in my bag since I was fourteen Kara. I do this because I have a scatter brained, bottomless pit of an alien for a sister who forgets to maintain the one external sign that would reveal her greatest secret!”

Kara blushes pink and ducks her head.

“Thank you,” Kara whispers to her sister.

Alex finishes removing the last of the remnants of Kara’s old tattoo and then wraps a new tattoo transfer strip around her sister’s wrist. A dab of solvent, a pat down with dry cotton balls, a spritz with setting agent and Kara has a soul bond tattoo.

The words are generic: “Oh, you have beautiful eyes.”

Eliza had decided that generic words were the best option. It allows Kara to blow off anyone who happens to say them and also allows her to date Mon-El. They claim their words match but their generic fake tattoo words also means that they are able to falsify a story to claim each other as soulmates. If, in the future, they don’t work out (Alex can only wish Kara will dump the misogynistic man-child) then they could claim they were mistaken about saying each other’s words and break up without public outrage. Their fake words are generic enough that multiple people could say them in one lifetime.

Kara twists her hand in the light and examines the newly applied tattoo.

She sighs, “Maybe I should just get them tattooed on with the Kryptonite ink like Kal used?”

Alex sucks in a breath like a scalded cat, “No! You don’t know if you and Mon-El will last, and if you end up with a human soulmate like Kal-El did then you need to be able to have your first words to them tattooed on.”

Kara’s eyes water and an angry flush rushes up her throat, “Kal was the soul bonded of a human because he was naturally conceived. Whatever higher power gives humanity their soul bond words gave Lois Lane Kal’s first words to her because he was destined for this planet and was made of random universal chance that such powers can naturally influence. I was made in a lab, I am not subject to such natural universal forces. My mate would have been the purview of the artificial Kryptonian matrix and the codex. It is sweet that you think I could have a soulmate here on earth who has my first words to them around their wrist Alex, but it isn’t meant to be. I made peace with that a long time ago.”

Alex swallows back tears and shakes her head, “You might not believe you are destined for true love here on earth, a soul bond, but I can believe enough for the both of us. I don’t know of anyone more deserving of love and a soulmate than you Kara.”

Kara doesn’t feel able for this argument again and doesn’t wish to break her sister’s hope so she just smiles sadly and nods to Alex.

“Now, remember the rules. Keep it dry. Don’t let anyone take pictures of your tattoo, don’t draw attention to your tattoo, keep your sleeves down or wear your chunky watch,” Alex recites.

Kara merely nods mutely.

* * *

** The Afternoon: **

* * *

Lena sighs as she queues at the grocery store. She only stopped in to get Kale for tomorrow mornings green smoothie. The couple in front of her argue, the baby behind her cries and the checkout girl looks confused. Lena sighs. She really should have gotten Jess to do this grocery run for her, but after her loyal personal assistant had dropped her whole life in Metropolis to follow Lena to National City, Lena can’t bare to lumber Jess with such menial duties.

Lena makes a note in her head to speak with the concierge of her building about getting a more reliable food delivery service or a full-time house manager. Between how busy she is saving Luthor-corp, the rebranding of the company and dodging death threats, Lena can’t really afford the time or the risk it takes to do these grocery trips herself.

The baseball cap pulled low over her face, sunglasses and the oversized National City Packers sweatshirt she has borrowed from her driver Kenny offers Lena some anonymity in the grocery store, but Lena still feels exposed and on edge as she waits for the line to move.

Tomorrow is Lena’s first official day in the new National City Headquarters of Luthor-corp (soon to be Lcorp if she gets her way). Lena has been in the city less than 48 hours, close to 40 of those were spent in the labs ensuring that the more delicate equipment that was moved here from Metropolis was set up correctly. There had been something soothing in getting lost in the lab, and amongst scientists. Tomorrow however, that all ends as she returns back to the tedious life of a CEO. Lena has been CEO for less than six months and she already hates it. If it wasn’t for the risk of the company falling to her mother’s grubby hands or collapsing with the loss of thousands of jobs, she would have much preferred to have stayed an engineering lab rat for the rest of her life.

Lena sighs at the loss of such a dream. The lab seems so far away already. Jess had found her this afternoon and all but threatened to quit if Lena didn’t go back to her new fancy apartment to get some rest before she officially starts work as the CEO tomorrow. Lena laments that she didn’t squeeze more than three days leave from the Board for the relocation.

The confused checkout girl has finally called for some assistance and a supervisor, who doesn’t look much older than the pimply faced teenager on the till, begins pounding the touchscreen interface in frustration and muttering about coupons.

Lena rolls her neck from side to side to relieve some tension. Her eyes catch briefly on the magazine that hangs off the rack above the conveyor belt. A glossy picture of Superman is juxtaposed with his apparent cousin; Supergirl, on the cover. Lena can’t help but flinch back at the sight of Superman’s All American Jaw line and cerulean blue eyes. Her stomach sours as memories of Lex and his descent into madness over this alien surge to the front of her mind.

The picture of Superman is a candid shot with him in full superhero pose. His hands rest against his hips and the golden gauntlet, about two inches in length, shines on his right wrist. In his first year of activity on earth Superman had not worn a gauntlet. Like all aliens he doesn’t have a soul bond tattoo announcing his soulmates first words to him. Yet, Superman had kept his wrists covered with long sleeves so that his blank skin didn’t unnerve anyone. Some of the more radical anti-alien bigots claimed that the lack of soul bond tattoo proved that aliens were soulless, godless animals. Lena as an atheist always snorted at this logic. The soul bond tattoos were much more likely an expression of quantum entanglement that is unique to humanity. One day science will explain it, but for now it is enough to know that the universe has connected two people together.

A year after Superman had been active he had started wearing the gauntlet, or bracelet as he called it. The media thought gauntlet sounded more masculine but Superman persists in calling it a bracelet. He admitted in an interview with Lois Lane that the bracelet was a symbol of marriage to his people. Speculation was rife about who he had married: a fellow tattoo free alien? A human whose tattoo had faded, indicating a dead bond mate? Or was he stealing someone’s soulmate if he was with a human with an active soul bond tattoo?

It wasn’t unheard of for two humans to marry if they were over 30 and had yet to meet their tattoo bond mate. A tattoo was the first words a soulmate would speak, not a guarantee that any such conversation would occur. 30% of all marriages are still between mismatched tattoos after all. And meeting one’s true soulmate is grounds for a no contest divorce.

Superman had never commented further on who his husband or wife was. Numerous villains had attacked him and sought to damage his bracelet, but whatever alien material comprises it, it is even more durable than the man of steel himself. The scientist in Lena would love to analyse it. The uses she could think of for such a metal are incalculable.

Lena’s eyes are drawn to the image of Supergirl. As someone who was always quite comfortably bisexual, Lena Luthor can see the appeal to Supergirl. She is tall, tanned, well muscled and absolutely gorgeous. Her eyes sparkle like the Caribbean Sea and her blonde hair glows like a halo.

She is certainly easier on the eye than her cousin, especially for Lena who can distance herself from the usual negative associations of that damn S when seeing it on a more feminine form.

Supergirl was part of the reason Lena moved here. This city, with a brand-new Super, offers Lena the opportunity to prove to the public that she is not like Lex. She is not xenophobic. She can live peacefully in the same city as a Kryptonian.

Lena just hopes Supergirl will give her the chance to prove herself which Superman has seemed unwilling to offer.

The supervisor cheers and the checkout squeaks some positive beeping sounds. _At last_ , Lena thinks. She leans forward to peak around the couple in front of her and sees the elderly lady who is holding a stack of coupons and a wad of cash that her gnarled, arthritic hands fumble with. Lena wants to groan aloud in frustration, or to whip out her credit card and pay for everyone’s shopping just so she can be done with this tedious hell. That would draw attention though, and all it would take is one person to work out who she is for a hateful mob to encircle the despised Luthor.

Lena tunes into the couple’s argument in front of her. A perky, twenty something, dressed in a cotton candy pink cardigan and sensible loafers argues with her boyfriend. He wears a tight black shirt and exudes all the traditional jock good looks and personality that makes Lena want to punch him in his perfect little face.

“It’s fine Kara. Jameson is a perfectly good brand of whiskey. Alex won’t notice the difference after a few glasses anyway,” the black-haired jock argues.

The blond turns so her profile is displayed to Lena as she faces her exasperated boyfriend, “I don’t know Mike, Alex is fussy about her Whiskey and she is on an Irish distillery kick at the minute. There were at least three other Irish brands back there, maybe I should have taken the Bushmills?”

Lena can’t help but throw her two cents into this argument. Whiskey is one of the topics she is a self-professed expert in, especially Irish Whiskey. Her mouth moves without her direct command, “Stick with the Jameson. It is much better than Bushmills, although if they had any Powers left in stock I would have gone with the that.”

The blond turns to face Lena head on and Lena can feel her heart skip a beat. Damn, blondie is stunning. Behind her thick framed glasses are startlingly blue eyes and the megawatt smile she bestows on Lena could power cities.

“Powers is my sister’s favourite,” the blond replies to Lena.

The answering smile that was forming on Lena’ face freezes.

Those are her words. Those are Lena’s words. The very words that now burn and itch on Lena’s right wrist. Her soul bond tattoo. The tattoo that she only now realises is the exact same blue as this stunning creatures’ eyes.

Lena is frozen, her heart gallops and her smile is half formed in shock.

Before Lena can formulate any sort of replay, the jock reaches over to pluck the bottle of Jameson from the goddess’ grip. “We’re up Kara. Let’s pay and go.”

The beautiful blond, whom Lena now knows is called Kara, reaches after the man. Her cardigan sleeve pulls back to reveal soul bond tattoo in darkest black, the blocky writing that is not Lena’s handwriting reads “Oh, you have beautiful eyes.”

Those are not the first words Lena said to this woman.

Her bond is unrequited.

Lena’s heart shatters. She has read academic papers on the few cases in history where soul bonds tattoos don’t match. They are either for people who are destined to be part of a polyamorous group, a rare occurrence in and of itself, or they are an unrequited soul bond. Someone who has another person’s first words but whose soulmate has words that pair them with another person.

Unrequited soul bonds are destined to be alone. To pine. To be unfulfilled. To be forgotten. To be pitied.

The instances in the last 100 years number less than a half dozen recorded cases.

Lena’s eyes snap to the handsome jock. He and her bond mate seem perfectly at ease. Their body language telegraphing affectionate and relaxed care, perhaps even love. They must be a soul bonded pair. Lena can’t help but watch them. Could she intrude in their relationship? Would it be right to shoehorn the Luthor danger and terrible reputation into their lives?

Who is she kidding, who would want a Luthor?

Kara and the jock are already paying, and in desperation Lena calls out, “You make a lovely couple. Your tattoos are a gorgeous matching black.”

It is rude to comment on another’s tattoo. A social faux pas that Lillian would surely have had Lena beaten for making

Kara pulls her sleeve down uncomfortably and offers an awkwardly thankful smile in reply. The jock has no such qualms as he lifts his paid for bottle of whiskey and throws his arm over Kara’s shoulder, “ ‘Oh, you have beautiful eyes.’ Those were my first words to Kara and she blushed like mad even as she replied ‘Yours aren’t half bad either.’ I knew we were meant for each other right then.”

Lena’s eyes zero in on the man-child’s right wrist that is nicely displayed as he leans possessively across Kara, and sure enough the black words read ' Yours aren’t half bad either.’

Lena feels her gorge rise and all the blood rush to her head. She thinks she is going to pass out or puke. It is true then: her bond is unrequited.

Lena’s tongue feels swollen and heavy as she attempts to choke out a reply, “How lovely.”

The word feels like crushed glass on Lena’s tongue. They cut deep.

Kara smiles again uncomfortably and shrugs off her bond mates’ arm, “Come on Mike. We will be late for game night at my sister’s if we don’t make our bus.”

With that, Kara and Mike depart the store. A perfect couple hand in hand.

Lena feels the bunch of Kale she had picked up fall to the floor from her boneless hands. The blood rushes in her ears and her feet move like blocks of lead to carry her back to her driver who awaits outside in the town car.

Everything feels distant and muted. The checkout girl is calling to her, but the words are a meaningless buzz. The exit is blurring in and out of Lena’s vision behind her dark sunglasses.

It is only as she stumbles to the car and a suddenly panicked Kenny jumps from the driver’s seat to get the door that she realises silent tears race down her cheeks.

* * *

** The night: **

* * *

Lena lies curled in her bed drinking straight from a $1000 bottle of irish whiskey. It burns like fire as it races down her throat. Her heart aches for what she has lost. She grieves as though someone she has loved has died. Lena knows intellectually that Kara was a stranger, but discovering her bond is unrequited is the equivalent to the death of a dream. A silly childish dream, but a dream none the less. In the depths of Lena’s heart and mind she had always clung to the idea of her soul bond tattoo gifting her the one person who would love her unconditionally, irrelevant of her name. A choked laugh curdles past her lips.

Even the universe doesn’t think anyone can love a Luthor. Lena feels betrayed by a science that until now had been her one solace in this world. Even quantum entanglement has forsaken Lena and her soul bond tattoo.

The brief thought that Lena has enough information to track Kara down enters her head. She has Kara’s name, her sister Alex’s name and the name of Kara’s bonded Mike. For her hacking skills and expensive private detectives, it would be child’s paly to track Kara down on social media or through government records. Even just to hire some gum-shoe to track her down from the grocery store would be easy

No!

Lena tosses the bottle across her room in anger. It shatters against the white wall and leaves a splash of whiskey behind.

No. Lena will not desperately pine after someone who does not love her in return. She will not watch over this Kara from afar or torment herself with any more thoughts of this damned beautiful woman whose heart will never be hers. All the Luthor money, and the one thing Lena wants is beyond her reach. Kara has Mike’s words on her wrist, not Lena’s. Not the words Lena had spoke. Not, “Stick with the Jameson.”

As Lena curls up to allow oblivion to steal her twisted thoughts into restless sleep before she must don her ice-cold armour to act as a CEO tomorrow, she hears Lilian’s twisted voice whisper in her head, “Love is a weakness. Luthor’s don’t do weakness.”

Lena mutter’s the mantra as she drifts into twisted dreams, “Love is weakness. Luthor’s don’t do weakness.”

* * *

Across the city, in a small apartment where a group of friends play Pictionary, Alex nudges her sister, “Hey, earth to Kara! You totally zoned out, it’s your turn!”

Kara jolts back to herself and lifts the stack of Pictionary prompts as she stands to begin her performance. The hauntingly green eyes that had floated into her mind and stolen her stream of consciousness remain in the back of her head while she devours two helpings of potstickers and through two more rounds of Pictionary. Later that night, even as she curls into bed beside Mon-El her dreams are populated by visions of beautiful jade green eyes.

* * *

The End.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the angst train. I know I need to stop being mean to Lena. 
> 
> Comments and Kudos?


End file.
